Hand Mortar Company (ETW Unit)

Hand Mortar Company (ETW Unit)
Class	Grenadiers
Unit Size	80 men
Weaponry	Hand Mortars
Morale
Melee Attack
Ranged Attack
Defence
Charge Bonus
Accuracy
Range
Ammunition
Region	Worldwide
Recruitment Cost	930
Upkeep Cost	230
Turns to Build
Unit Limit
Building Requirements	Drill School
Technology Requirements	None
Attributes	Can Guard Can hide in woodland Can hide in light scrub Resistant to morale shocks Grappling Hooks

The hand mortar can be used to place a grenade on a target beyond normal throwing range.

Overview

A hand mortar can be used to place a grenade on a target beyond normal throwing range.

Despite its name, the hand mortar is more of a grenade launcher,with a wide barrel,typically of bronze, mounted on a musket stock so it can be fired from the shoulder. This method of delivery offers increased range, but the weapons are temperamental and prone to misfires or bursting. this, Coupled with the variable quality of the grenades fired, means that in the wrong hands a hand mortar can often be as much of a danger to the man firing it as to the enemy. Despite this, the grenade is a useful battlefield weapon when used against enemies deployed in cover, or for clearing choke points.

Historically, the armies of the Ottoman Empire and Russia employed the hand mortar. In the Russian military, hand mortar detachments typically operated in of the artillery, because the unpredictability of the weapon made it unpopular with among the line regiments! The Ottomans always treated grenades as a form of "thrown artillery".

Unit Details

Hand Mortar Companies are only available to Russia. However, a similar unit is available to The Ottoman Empire. Hand mortars have an advantage over grenadiers in that they have a much longer grenade range than grenadiers, thereby giving them more flexibility and safety of use. However, they are not nearly as handy in a melee and have a much lower ammunition count. Hand Mortar Companies should be used like mobile artillery.

Factions

• Russia